An Ancient Muse (Bonus Track Version)

iTunes Review

Inspired by her travels through Mongolia, China, Turkey, and the Greek Islands — tracing part of the Silk Road route used by the ancient Celts — Loreena McKennitt wrote The Ancient Muse as a kind of musical travelogue of her experience. Along the way she absorbed some of the sounds of these regions and then incorporated them into her usual brew of the exotic and the familiar to create this dramatic combination of gauzy tones and textures that never strays far from the traditional Irish roots of most of her work. The diverse instrumentation (oud, lyra, hurdy gurdy, viola, cello, harp, bouzouki, Turkish clarinet, and assorted ethnic percussion, among others) is arranged in a pleasant and inventive way that accentuates the similarities of the assorted traditions. The melody lines are consistently strong, and her gorgeous voice is as ethereal and haunting as ever on this, her seventh studio recording. But it’s about more than her voice, for in addition to two instrumentals (“Kecharitomene,” “Sacred Shabbat”) she also sits out for long stretches of the other songs, giving the music space to take on a life of its own. With its soothing tempos and dreamy production, The Ancient Muse fits snugly into McKennitt’s discography, which will suit her many fans nicely.